The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, will lead a series of events in Washington, D.C., and New York during the week of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s birthday. These events will serve aim to rally support for civil rights issues, including voting rights, diversity, equity and inclusion and criminal justice reform, as a second Trump administration nears.

“As we honor Dr. King’s legacy this year, our nation again stands at a crossroads in the fight for the soul of America,” Sharpton said. “On the eve of Donald Trump’s second term, we need to be clear: Dr. King did not march, preach and lay down his life so that we would retreat into hatred and division. This moment demands that we be louder, stronger and more determined than ever to keep Dr. King’s dream alive.”

The events will begin Jan. 15 with an MLK Day legislative breakfast in Washington and will culminate Jan. 20 with a rally and march in D.C. In between, a King Day policy forum will be held on Jan. 18 at NAN’s House of Justice in Harlem, where leaders from the New York area will discuss strategies for advancing civil rights protections.

The MLK Day birthday breakfast will be held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sharpton will host the annual breakfast with elected officials, civil rights leaders and national stakeholders to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and discuss ongoing challenges to DEI and voting rights. 

On Jan. 18, NAN’s King Day Policy Forum will take place at the House of Justice in New York, where local leaders will gather to discuss strategies to protect DEI policies and civil rights as Trump’s second term approaches.

The Washington rally and march on Jan. 20 will begin at McPherson Square at 10 a.m., followed by a march to Metropolitan AME Church, where the rally will continue at noon.

The church is home to the graves of both Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks.

For more information about the events visit nationalactionnetwork.net.